GAME PREVIEW
Griffon Men's Basketball (6-12, 4-8 MIAA) vs. Nebraska-Kearney (9-8, 6-6 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 23, 5 p.m. – MWSU Fieldhouse
 
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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men's basketball team will look for its second win in three days when Nebraska-Kearney visits the MWSU Fieldhouse on Saturday.
 
The Griffons won their sixth game of the season, all coming at home, on Thursday with a 74-68 victory over Fort Hays State. It's the last time in the 2015-16 regular season the Griffons will face an opponent for the first time, having seen all other MIAA foes already. Nebraska-Kearney is 9-8 overall and 6-6 in the MIAA after an 83-78 loss at Northwest Missouri State on Thursday.
 
THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western is coming off an impressive win over Fort Hays State. The Griffons handed Fort Hays just its fifth MIAA loss of the season, having entered Thursday's game tied for second place in the conference standings. The win moved the Griffons into 12^th in the MIAA standings. The Griffons sit just one game back of both Pittsburg State and Central Oklahoma in the standings with wins over both schools already this season. A win Saturday would give Missouri Western back-to-back victories for just the second time this season.
 
Most games have been tight for Brett Weiberg's team this year, with Missouri Western averaging 71.6 points per game and opponents averaging 74.5. The Griffons are shooting 41 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from behind the arc and 73.4 percent at the free throw line. Trey Sampson leads the Griffons with 11.9 points per game, slightly more than Aaron Emmanuel's 11.2. Emmanuel leads the team with 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
 
NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
The Lopers enter Saturday after a tough loss at MIAA leading Northwest Missouri on Thursday. Nebraska-Kearney led with two minutes to go but Northwest grabbed the lead just under the two-minute mark and held on to take over sole possession of first place in the standings.
 
Conner Beranek entered the week as the nation's fourth leading scorer and added 32 points Thursday night in Maryville. The senior is averaging 25.4 points per game and is one of three Lopers averaging double-digits. Trey Lansman is second on the team with a 16.4 point per game average. Ethan Brozek is averaging 15.1 points per game. Beranek also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.6 per game and Brokek adds 7.1 per contest.
 
As a team, UNK is averaging 80.1 points per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range and 81.9 percent at the free throw line. The Lopers have given up 77.1 points per game to opponents.